Cindy Donald: A spirit that doesn't shatter

Metro Atlanta

An accident left Cindy Donald quadriplegic but it hasn't crushed her spirit.

Cindy Donald, who was left a quadriplegic in an accident, hasn't let her condition crush her spirit. Here, she works with Josh Zottnick during therapy at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta.

Donald was a spirited teenager (seen here as a cheerleader for Lassiter High School) when her father, who did not see Cindy tanning in the family's East Cobb driveway, ran over her with a car.

But Donald hasn't let the accident stop her. She continually works to keep up her strength.

"I've been doing this current therapy for 18 months to keep my body in shape," Donald said. "I'm keeping my body in shape so when they come up with stem cell surgery, my muscles won't be in atrophy. I'll be ready when they come up with cure."

Cindy with her father Jerry Donald. Cindy does not blame her father for the accident, she finds a cause bigger than herself as a way to pay forward some unexpected generosity.

Cindy Donald (left) swims with Bert Quist, owner of Diver's at Sea, in Bonaire in the Netherlands Antilles Islands, last September. It was a wonderful moment for Cindy who is just now learning to control her motorized wheelchair with her hands instead of blowing into a straw.

Cindy Donald (left) laughs with her longtime friend Kristen Davis in this 2005 file photo. When Cindy was injured, a group of men in her neighborhood rallied and the Cindy M. Donald Fund was born.

The fund helps Donald with her medical bills and therapy at Atlanta's Shepherd center.

But Donald, seen here in a file photo with friend and fellow patient Kristy Justus, didn't stop there. She hopes to have the separate Cindy Donald Dreams of Recovery Foundation up and running, kicking it off with a golf tournament.

"I love the Shepherd program, the people, they way they work with each person individually," Cindy said. "It's hard sometimes, and I get down sometimes. But if it weren't for this program, I'd be far worse off. I want others to have this chance."

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Cindy Donald, who was left a quadriplegic in an accident, hasn't let her condition crush her spirit. Here, she works with Josh Zottnick during therapy at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta.

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